The aim of this proposal is to investigate some aspects of immunological approaches to the cancer of the mouth, pharynx and larynx. Using the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity as a model, we will make every effort to develop highly specific antibodies directed against squamous cell carcinoma antigens (SCCA) and to isolate highly purified SCAA. Our approach will be to construct monoclonal antibody secreting hybrid cells by fusing murine myeloma cells with spleen cells obtained from mice immunized with whole SCC cells or with semi-purified SCCA isolated from SCC cells by classical methods of membrane solubilization followed by protein separations. Monoclonal antibodies will then be coupled to insoluble support and will be used as immunoadsorbents to isolate highly purified SCCA. Once monoclonal antibodies and SCCA are available, we will use them in sensitive radioimmunoassays to detect SCCA and/or anti-SCCA antibodies in the serum of patients with SCC, versus the sera of patients with no tumor or with a tumor different from SCC. We hope to be able to correlate the presence of SCCA and/or anti-SCCA antibodies with the presence of the disease and therefore to be able to use this test for an early diagnosis of this cancer which is the most common tumor found in the upper respiratory tract. We will also use the monoclonal ant-SCCA antibody and the purified SCC in in vitro correlates of delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity (i.e., leukocyte migration inhibition, leukocyte adherence inhibition, lymphoblastogenesis) to evaluate the immunological responses of the tumor bearing patients to their autologous purified SCCA. We will look for a correlation between the magnitude of these responses and the stage of the disease in an attempt to evaluate the prognostic value of the tests described above as well as to possibly assess their usefulness in the evaluation of the efficacy of therapy and in the detectiion of recurrences after conventional therapy.